Audio+Video
On Wednesday, May 18th, the Building Movement Project hosted the second of our ongoing series of “cohort calls” that concentrate on the different roles/activities of service providers involved in social change work. The purpose of the calls is to build connections and share information among staffers across the country working in service delivery groups that are also looking to address larger issues affecting their clients. This call focused on the experience of Executive Directors/Senior Staff and was led by Jim Mangia, President & CEO of St. John’s Well Child and Family Center in Los Angeles, CA.
Movement Builders
National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy
The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy is dedicated to helping the philanthropic community advance the traditional values of social and economic justice for all Americans. Publications include “Axis of Ideology: Conservative Foundations and Public Policy,” and “The State of Philanthropy 2004.”
Reports
Structuring Leadership: Alternative Models for Distributing Power and Decision-making
This report sets out to identify and document models of distributed leadership with a focus on increasing organizational impact. Our interest was to find operating structures that address potential barriers to effectiveness, including the growing demands on executives running nonprofits, the current realities of a multigenerational workforce where older leaders will stay longer, and the expectations and work style of new generations coming into the workplace with a strong team orientation. This paper outlines the foundations, practices, and results of distributed leadership and suggests directions for further research.
Service Delivery and Social Change: 2010 Convening Report
In June 2010, the Building Movement Project held a convening at the Pocantico Center of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund entitled Service Delivery and Social Change. This report offers a summary of participants’ reflections on their own ongoing efforts as well as on the evolution that has taken place in the field towards greater incorporation of social change models since the Building Movement Project’s first meeting on this topic three years earlier. The report also lays out a set of recommendations for how we can be advancing this work throughout the sector.
Catalysts for Change: REPORT
Catalysts for Change: How California Nonprofits Can Deliver Direct Services and Transform Communities offers a snapshot of how California-based health and human service providers engage in activities beyond services to address the causes of the problems facing their constituents. Part One of the report presents the findings from a survey of more than 450 California nonprofit service providers, describing the ways in which these groups are (or are not) integrating practices – ranging from client involvement to advocacy to internal capacity building – into their work.
What Works: Developing Successful Multigenerational Leadership
This report presents key factors that create good workplaces and build leadership in nonprofit organizations. Based on a survey conducted with Idealist.org, What Works offers recommendations for how nonprofits can support dedicated staff, build their capacity to lead, and deepen their commitment to the nonprofit sector at little to no cost. While it is true that generations differ in how they approach their work, there are remarkable similarities in what people want out of their job. The What Works report examines when leaders do their best work, what constitutes a good workplace, and how to improve on our ability to retain, support, and promote staff across generations.
Catalysts for Change: CASE STUDIES
Catalysts for Change: How California Nonprofits Can Deliver Direct Services and Transform Communities offers a snapshot of how California-based health and human service providers engage in activities beyond services to address the causes of the problems facing their constituents. Part Two of the report, offers five in-depth case studies of California-based health and social service providers that are engaging in non-service activities to address systemic issues – such as poverty, inequality, and health disparities – as well as building the voice and power of their constituents.
Evidence of Change: Exploring Civic Engagement Evaluation
This report summarizes the recent efforts of the Building Movement Project, the Alliance for Children and Families and the Ms. Foundation for Women who came together to respond to this call for methods and tools for measuring the impact of social change work. It offers a look into how organizations currently view their relationship with impact measurement and then presents a brief summary of the key findings that came out of the Civic Engagement Evaluation Summit convened by the partner organizations.
Leadership Development and Leadership Change
In partnership with Movement Strategy Center, the National Community Development Institute, and the Partnership for Immigrant Leadership and Action, Building Movement Project surveyed over 30 organizations about their leadership development practices and conducted 15 interviews with staff members of social change organizations in the Bay Area and nationally to explore the ways they develop organizational leadership and the impact on leadership transition. The themes and lessons that emerged from our interviews reflect the premise that organizational values, structure, culture and power inform and transform leadership in social change organizations, specifically those promoting women, people of color, younger generation and constituent leaders.
Alliances for Change: Organizing for the 21st Century
Workers’ centers, youth-based action groups, and urban justice organizations are among those changing the face of traditional community organizing. Many of these groups engage a range of approaches beyond targeted campaign work—from service delivery to media ownership to voter engagement. This report looks at nearly a dozen examples of organizing efforts rising to scale and adapting to the urgent challenges and political opportunities at the beginning of the 21st century.
Making Social Change: Case Studies of Nonprofit Service Providers
The Building Movement Project developed this set of case studies as a response to numerous requests from groups looking for real-life examples of the often-challenging process of incorporating social change models into social service work. The case studies - geared toward practitioners, board members, and funders interested in this work - include organizational profiles, a reflection guide and additional web resources.
Working Across Generations: Defining the Future of Nonprofit Leadership
Now available! Working Across Generations, winner of the Axiom Gold Medal for Philanthropy, offers a comprehensive look at the leadership and generational shifts in the nonprofit sector. Order your copy now!